A Corviknight Cab is waiting just beyond the walls of Kingston Castle for it's next fair to arrive and fly off towards Parlor Town. Julia stands firmly by the entrance to the Castle and watches as Jon aids his frail Grandmother out of the castle and towards the Cab. Lady Bonnie gives Julia a knowing glance and smiles waekly before she and Jon continue towards the Cab.
Julia observes as they make their way for the gate, her thoughts deeply clouded by her own doubts and insecurities. I know I should be there. There really is no excuse as to why I shouldn't be. Amanda is more than capable of looking after Jocelyn here. But why am I so unsure that I even belong there? If I don't belong there, I really have no real reason to be here, either. I'm no Kingston, no matter how close I am with the family. The clearly uncomfortable looks that Cameron gave her when she brought Jocelyn here was only further proof that the waters of her relationship with the Kingston Family, which had once been as clear as a summer sky, were now murkier than a sewer full of Muks. There was going to be a lot changing about Arcana when all was said and done. When the Syndicate fell, she would have to confront her feelings towards Michael, one way or another. But today? There was no chance she was going to make herself the center of attention when the confrontation with the Syndicate was drawing so near to them. If she were to be the one who distracted any of them, especially Michael, from the grander task at hand, she would never be able to live it down. Besides, Piper will be able to fill us in if something new develops.
After Chris's message reached all in the KERN, Julia had saw fit to terminate the program, so as not to overly rely on it. It wasn't needed, anyway. After all, with all of the Kingstons going to the Ranch, the KERN would only be useful to her and Amanda at the Castle, which would only make her absence look worse than it already was.
Walking with one of Lady Bonnie's canes, Piper slowly made her way towards her cousin and the exit of the castle. Though she was recovering, it was likely she would join Robert Kingston and Lady Bonnie to the upcoming battle as spectators. An idea that sat very poorly with her, as she was determined to fight for the people she knows and loves like family. As Piper came up to her cousin, she paused and looked over to her. "You can't put it off forever, Julia."
"I know" the Professor replied, holding her arm and filling with shame. "But I just don't think I can face him right now. Not when there's still so much work to be done."
Piper sighed. "Michael may be busy planning a war, but he's not stupid. He's going to know something is up when I show up and you don't. One way or another, you're going to have to talk to him." She then continued to follow Jon and Bonnie out towards the Corviknight Cab waiting in the early morning skies.
Julia made her way back into the Castle, only to be met at the door by Gerard. "Miss Pines. Lady Jocelyn has awakened and seeks an audience with you."
"Thank you" she said kindly, slowly walking up the stairs towards the guest room they had seated Jocelyn in. Amanda was already there, sitting by the wounded warrior's bedside. When Jocelyn saw her, she appeared to be puzzled.
"I thought you would have gone back to Parlor Town" she said feebly.
Julia shook her head. "If I go back there, I would only be distracting Michael from what's to come."
Jocelyn sighed. "So it's true, then? Michael and the others survived?
Julia nodded. "They're all fine." She paused. "You don't seem to be too pleased about that."
"I'm not" Jocelyn replied honestly. "It will only invigorate The Grand Master."
"You don't think that Michael can handle him?" Julia asked.
"I think The Grand Master has been waiting to get his hands on Michael for the longest time, definitely since he heard about my father and Cassius branding him all those years ago." She winced in pain. "Michael has a gift inside of him from the Syndicate. The gift of unrelenting fury. And if he lets his fury go unchecked, he could destroy more than just his enemies."
Julia smiled at her. "That will never happen. Michael carries Celebi with him at all times. Celebi keeps the Crimson Fury in him weaker than it ordinarily would be, He won't give in to it."
"I hope for your sake, you're right" Jocelyn replied, a deep melancholy in her voice.
Julia sat on the bed beside Jocelyn. "I never got a chance to thank you. For all that you've done for us."
Jocelyn's eyes looked at her with gentle kindness. "I knew that I couldn't let my father destroy our family's legacy. I only wish I could be there to try and stop The Grand Master myself and save it further. But, the rest is up to you guys." She fell back onto her pillow. "Is Ryan okay?"
Julia nodded. "He is. He's with Michael and the others, now."
She closed her eyes. "Good. He's a good kid."
"That he is" Julia said fondly. "But I'm sure you'll be able to tell him that yourself."
Jocelyn shook her head. "No. I don't think that's in my destiny."
"Then what is?"
Jocelyn shrugged. "Should the Syndicate Fall and my father lose, I'll have no reason to be in Arcana anymore. You all know the truth about my Grandfather, now. So, maybe I'll set off and see the world. Or, maybe I'll seek out what I've always been meant to do with my life. The world will be open to me. And that's how it should always be." She opened her eyes and looked at Julia one last time. "Julia?"
"Yes?" Julia answered.
"Do not underestimate the power of The Grand Master" she coughed. "Or you all will fall to his might."
"We won't" Julia assured her. "We'll all be okay."
"And...one more thing" Jocelyn added. "Don't lose him again."
"What?" Julia asked, taken aback by her bluntness.
"If you really ever loved him" Jocelyn says, as she is about to fall back asleep, "you wouldn't give up on your relationship so easily." Before Julia could answer, Jocelyn was asleep.
Julia looked over towards Amanda, who was looking away from the situation, trying to mind her own business. Julia shook her head in distress and walked out of the room. She paused at the doorway. "I'm going to need a bit to think things over. You don't have to come looking for me." With that, Julia left the room.
{Meanwhile}
The Ranch was nearly full to bursting with people inside. As Ryan walked inside with Tommy, his Mother and Father, he could tell that there were well over a hundred people present in the entirety of both Michael's home as well as Julia's lab. A massive amount of people for what Michael would only describe to him as a massive undertaking. And Michael had certainly dragged as many Kingstons there as was possible. While his parents mingled with his Uncles and Aunts, Ryan took Tommy with him in search of the ArcResistance Team. He found the group in one of the lab offices, with Amber and Dylan working on editing more videos to release online, and Corey busy working on making another few Electromagnetic Shocker devices.
"I think you should add that clip of Michael landing in front of us as the kicker" Amber suggested.
"That would make things look awesome" Dylan said. "But I'm afraid of it being too 'click baity', if you know what I mean."
"I hear you" she said, "but I think we're the only game in town, now that ArcTV has gone up in smoke. It doesn't matter what we make as a cover."
"Journalistic integrity says otherwise, Amber" Dylan countered.
"What are you guys up to?" Ryan asked.
The three looked over and cheerfully waved. "Hey guys!" Amber called to them. "We were just working on our latest article. And Corey is working on making some more ES Devices."
"Chris Kingston said they could use some of those" Corey said proudly. "I hope that means we'll have a part to play in the action."
"That makes one of us" Amber said worriedly. "While reporting on stuff like that is cool, avtually taking part in it is a different story."
"That's the price we pay for being the only game in town" Dylan shrugged.
"ArcTV is still offline?" Ryan asked.
"After our video leaked" Dylan explained, "they lost all of their funding. No one wants to be involved with ArcTV right now and it's glorious. We practically have a monopoly on News in Arcana until the Syndicate is flattened."
"Whoa" Tommy remarked. "And you guys report what's actually going on, so that's good."
"It sure is" Amber said happily. "Say, Ryan. When are we going to get to interview you about the meeting?"
Ryan paused. "Uh, you guys are gonna be there."
This caught Amber by surprise. "Really?"
"Mike said you guys are going to have some kind of role to play" he assured them. "So it wouldn't be right to leave you guys in the dark."
"That changes everything" Dylan eagerly chimed in, pushing his seat back. "What are we waiting for? Let's go find ourselves some good seats." Dylan rushed out of the room before anyone could react.
"Dylan!" Amber shouted, before rolling her eyes and chasing after him.
Corey sighed. "I guess this will have to wait until later." He followed his friends out of the room, prompting Tommy and Ryan to head off to join them. The five entered the largest meeting room in Julia's Lab, where more than 100 chairs had been put in place for everyone involved to take part in. At the head of the room was a small stage where another table with chairs in place, likely set up for Michael and the Elite Four to run the meeting as they saw fit.
The only two people in the Meeting Room at the moment were Deidre and Warren Tenton, Addison's parents. The two quietly kept to themselves in the front of the room, comforting each other over their fears for their daughter. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to avoid talking to them for the entire time, Ryan decided to rip the bandage off and go to speak with them.
"Thank you guys for coming" Ryan said politely to the couple.
Deidre smiled faintly. "Hello, Ryan."
Warren nodded. "Hello, Ryan."
Ryan took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say-"
"It's okay, Ryan" Deidre assured him. "It's not your fault."
Ryan paused. "You don't think so? Because I certainly do."
"I warned Addison not to go off like that" Warren said bluntly. "But she's stubborn, that one. Wouldn't take no for an answer. Once she saw how much you were hurt by that Syndicate Goon, she was determined to avenge you, regardless of her own personal safety." He laughed sadly to himself. "If she ends up okay, she's going be grounded until she goes away to college."
"We'll find a way to save her, Mr. Tenton" Ryan assured his crush's father. "I know we will."
"Thank you, Ryan" Deidre replied, before looking past him and seeing Michael enter. "There he is." She rose from her seat and ran over to her old friend and embraced him. "You had us all worried sick, you jerk."
Michael shrugged. "I can't help it, Dee. I like to make dramatic entrances and exits."
"Make sure you let us know in advance next time" Warren said cheerfully, shaking Michael's hand vigorously. "Good to see you again, bud."
"Good to be back, Warren" Michael replied as he let go of Deidre. Michael looked down towards his cousin. "Head up to the table there and find a spot for yourself." He pointed towards the table that overlooked the rest of the Meeting Room.
"I get to sit with you guys?" Ryan asked.
Michael nodded. "There's seven chairs up there. One for me, four for the Elite Four, one for you and one for Piper when she gets here." He looked past Ryan and saw Piper, leaning on her cane and staring at him. Michael walked over to her to greet her, but she jabbed him in the stomach with the cane. "OW! What was that for?"
Piper then smacked him on the chest with it. "If you ever scare me like that again, Michael Kingston, I'm gonna-"
"I missed you, too, Piper" Michael said calmly.
Piper, finally breaking down, leaped into her friend's arms. "You idiot! Why'd you have to go and almost get yourself killed over me? Do you know what I had to go through, you jerk head?" She cried uncontrollably as she embraced him like the little sister she had always been to him.
"Come on, Piper" Michael said as he held her in his arms. "You've got to pull it together, sweetie."
She looked up at him in a combination of rage and relief. "Don't you ever pull any of that stupid stuff ever again. Do you hear me?"
Michael laughed happily. "Loud and clear, Your Highness." He lowered her back down and kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's get you to your seat." Michael escorted Piper towards her seat at the table, while Ryan followed and sat on the opposite end of Piper. As the two sat down, Michael spotted more of his relatives and loved ones coming to see him and sighed. "Looks like I've got more people to go and see." He patted Ryan on his head as he went past them to see his brother in-law and sister once they had arrived.
"How've you been holding up, Ryan?" Piper asked him.
Ryan looked towards Piper and sighed. "I'm doing as good as I can, Your Highness. I'll feel better when I find Addy."
"And we will" Piper assured him.
"We'd better" a voice called from the entrance to the room. Ryan turned and saw Chris making his way towards the table. "Otherwise, I'm pretty sure half of the people here would end up razing the Syndicate Base to the ground." Chris messed up his cousin's hair as he sat down beside him. "I know that pretty much everyone in this room wouldn't be happy if we fail to find her."
"You shaved?" Piper asked.
"Lost my beard in the fire" Chris told the Queen. "It'll take months to grow it back into what it was."
"You don't need a beard" Piper insisted. "You're handsome enough without that grotesque eyesore."
"Eyesore?" Chris asked, almost stunned. "Come on, Piper. The women dig it."
"Is that why you don't have a girlfriend?" she asked slyly. "Take some advice from a woman, Chris. No woman wants someone who's face looks like he was stuffing his face with Skwovets."
Ryan laughed. "She may have a point."
Chris rolled his eyes. "I'm getting fashion advice from a 20 year old Beauty Pageant winner and a 12 year old kid."
Ryan looked out into the crowd and saw dozens of people filing in. Some he hadn't seen in a very long time, including his Uncles: Jeice, Doug and Junior, who alongside Big Mike, Erin, Shannon, Anthony and his parents, made up the second row of chairs. The third row was set up for the current Gym Leaders (chiefly the younger ones), including Tori, Greg, Madeline, Billy, Daniel, Jenna, Jon, Annie and Renee, who was happily greeting Tommy as the two were reunited for the first time since Tommy joined the ArcResistance Team to try and save Ryan from the Syndicate. The front row of chairs was slated for the ArcResistance Team, Lady Bonnie, his Uncle Byron, Tommy, Addison's parents and one empty chair which Piper sadly informed everyone would remain empty. The seats behind that in deeper back rows were filled with various others that had been rallied to support the coming clash with the Syndicate, including the heads of the Arcana Police Force, Annie's family, Jeremy Lockhart and his family, a recovering Sailor Ralph, and many others who simply wanted to help however they could, including the Augustines. While Morgan was polite and kind to everyone she met, Jasmine seemed lost in her own thoughts, having no doubt been informed of her 'boyfriend's' allegiances.
Mark and Lizzie filed into their own chairs on the high stage, with Lizzie seated next to Piper and Mark beside her. The two waved over towards Ryan and Chris, but they had sad looks on their faces. Ryan could only surmise that they had failed in their quest to recruit more help from their home regions of Kanto and Hoenn. Finally, Michael and Cameron entered, with Cameron taking a seat beside her brother and Michael setting himself up in the middle of their table of seven. Michael eyed the lone empty chair and lowered his head. Seeing that he would not be taking the initiative, Cameron stepped up to gain everyone's attention.
"I'd like to start by thanking you all for being here" she began. Before she continued, she took a deep breath. "I'm not particularly good at doing these kinds of warm greetings, as many of you know. So let's just cut to the chase. The Syndicate has outed themselves to all of Arcana. And the time to squash them all like pests has come. If we miss out on this opportunity we have, the Syndicate will regroup, stronger than ever before. In order for us to accomplish this task, however, we all need to be on the same page with regards to what we will be facing and why these people need to be stopped as soon as possible. I will now differ to Her Majesty, Queen Piper Pines." She sat down and on cue, Piper slowly rose to her feet, bracing herself on the table.
"Many of us know the Legend of Balthazar Aced" Piper explained. "About how he tried to find a cure for the Crimson Fury that envelopes Arcana every fifteen years, only to succumb to it's power himself and force James Kingston to kill him to achieve peace. These are only legends, of course. Tall tales." She looked at Lady Bonnie uncomfortably fidgeting in her chair and decided to wrap it up. "Balthazar Aced was not the mad scientist that history has painted him as. He was a genius, troubled by the world he lived in and unable to be who he truly wanted to. His noble research was tainted by three disloyal followers, who have hijacked it to fulfill their own senses of power and dominance. These three, Balthazar's son Elezar, Cassius Sinclair and The Grand Master make up the backbone of The Syndicate and act as their leading command figures. Because of their work, the Crimson Fury has been weaponized against us by them. At least 800 subjects have been forcefully experimented on by Cassius and Elezar, with this Grand Master overseeing it all. If we do not stop these monsters from harming more people in Arcana, the Crimson Fury will continue to overwhelm people and cause us to lead to our own destructions." She sat back down, prompting Chris to stand up. and say his piece.
"Thanks to the bravery and courage of Elezar's daughter" Chris remarked "who defected to our side, we have learned that the Syndicate had three true bases of operation. The first was the Abomosnow Mountain Lab, which we raided several weeks ago and captured Cassius in. The second was the Syndicate Compound, located in Titanio City underneath the ArcTV Studios, which was destroyed thanks to the combined efforts of Jocelyn and the Arc Resistance Team in the front row." He gestured towards Dylan, Amber and Corey, who all looked around nervously as their deeds were now common knowledge. Chris cleared his throat and continued. "The third, where the bulk of their strength is, has taken up refuge in the one place where this all started: a massive complex built into Mt. Heatmor. This, my friends, will be the site of the ultimate battle for the freedom of all of Arcana." He then sat down and allowed Lizzie to stand up next.
"The Syndicate is dominated by Twelve Administrators, all of whom are relentlessly powerful Pokémon Trainers and will not hesitate to try and do everyone here serious harm." She activated a remote to lower a screen down to project images of each of the Syndicate Admins. "The Grand Master, that Piper mentioned, does not seem to count among the Twelve Admins, but we should nevertheless use extreme caution when it comes to whoever it turns out to be." She began to slide through each and every picture to introduce them to the enemy. "Elezar Aced and Cassius Sinclair are the first two who will come to mind. Elezar is the will behind The Syndicate. So long as he is free, he will recruit more degenerates to their cause and the cycle will continue until it has taken everyone down with it. Cassius Sinclair is the brains behind the Syndicate, the one who developed the Crimson Brand itself and he who's research we will need to seize so that a remedy to this might be made available to the potentially thousands affected by the Crimson Fury. After these two, come their two Lead Snatchers, Victor and Nadine. If you've seen them about, chances are, they were scouting you out to see if you were worth abducting and branding into their army."
Ryan looked back at the pictures of Nadine and Victor and scowled bitterly at the two who had abducted him right from the Titanio Pokémon Gym.
"Next" Lizzie continued, "is a man I think we all know a little too well: Walter O'Hara, who was once the man who spoke for many, some even in this room right now. Walter is little more than a charlatan and a liar. He will say or do anything to protect himself, but you are to treat him as you would any other Syndicate Admin. Next, is Claude Jacques."
"Claude?" Junior remarked. "But that's impossible. He was one of Dad's greatest allies."
"Claude has had ties to the Syndicate since around the time of James Kingston's death" Piper explained. "Since then, he's been working both sides. But thanks to Jocelyn leaking this information to us, he's been outed as a traitor and most of his assets seized by the Arcana Police Force."
Lizzie nodded. "The next two are people from my own Region that Elezar recruited. There is the mercenary poacher named Hunter, who is said to have a massive collection of Pokémon at his disposal he can use for battle. He is one of the most dangerous Syndicate Admins out there and I suggest you all steer very clear from him if you can. After Hunter comes Courtney, formerly of Team Magma." Lizzie looked back at Michael, who was reflectively silent on the matter. prompting her to continue. "Courtney is a known telepath and a dangerous woman. It's said that she has the power to predict the future and look into the hearts of men. She is the most dangerous member of the Syndicate, so once again, avoid her at all costs. After these two comes Archer, formerly of Team Rocket and the alleged successor to Giovanni's criminal underworld in Kanto. Unlike Hunter and Courtney, though, he appears to be mostly smoke and mirrors, with his power being an illusion. Next comes the Twins, Lily and Lena. Despite their blissful naivete and stupidity, they have proven themselves to be dangerous if the situation calls for it." Lizzie looked towards Michael and sat down, prompting the Champion to rise.
"There is one last Syndicate Admin that we need you to be aware of" Michael cautioned them. "But I suspect some of you will not believe it when you see it." He pressed the next slide and closed his eyes as the entire Meeting Room gasped at the image of the twelfth and final Syndicate Administrator. "Matthew Kingston. Brother of Ryan, son of Alison and Robert, and until he threw his lot in with the Syndicate, one of us."
"Not little Matthew" Erin gaped.
"I simply cannot believe it" Byron spoke up.
"It's true" Robert admitted, standing up. "I still love my son, with all my heart. But he willingly joined with the ranks of the Syndicate. He cannot be treated as a light offender anymore. And I am willing to accept any and all punishment that gets dealt his way."
"Matthew's personal list of crimes is fairly steep" Michael continued. "He was responsible for the hit job on Uncle Robert as well as playing a role in the abductions of Ryan Kingston and Holly Queensbury. He was also the one who handed Addison Tenton over to the Syndicate." Deidre lowered her head while Warren clenched his fist in anger. "I know some of us may have mixed feelings about confronting Matthew, Claude or any of the other Syndicate Administrators, but we all need to understand something. Those involved in the Syndicate are not our allies. They aren't here to be our friends or make our region better. They are only here to harm others and accumulate power. Matthew is to be treated no differently than any other Syndicate Admin, which is to say, you are to show him absolutely no mercy." Michael sighed. "There is still one last element that is crucial to know. Thanks to the partisan and outright misinformation campaigns spread by ArcTV, we now realize that in two day's time, Arcana's infamous Crimson Moon will be upon us. We will likely be battling in it's wake. There is no telling what kind of impact it will have on those here, but I can assure you that if we do not stop the Syndicate soon, those feelings we all share of rage and desire for revenge, will continue to plague Arcana for the rest of time." He sat down and allowed Mark to stand to hash out the details. Mark took the remote from Michael and showed a diagram of Mt. Heatmor and the base provided by Jocelyn.
"Mt. Heatmor is approachable by three ways" Mark explained. "By land, by sea and by air. We will be launching a full scale attack on all three fronts. This is where we all will pitch into help as best as we can. Each of the factions will have a crucial responsibility to the rest of the operation in order for it to prove to be successful." Mark took a deep breath. "The land based assault will require our largest numbered force to march on the strips of land that go from the currently closed route north of Pocus Town. The objective of this force is to draw out the main strength of the Syndicate's forces, or if we catch them by surprise, cut off their first retreating route. This task shall fall onto the Arcana Police Force."
Michael looked down towards his Uncle Byron. "Uncle, I want no one else but you leading this."
Byron shrugged. "I supposed I'll just have to put off retirement for a little bit."
"The Arcana Police Force" Mark continued, "under the command of Chief Byron Kingston, will march on the Syndicate Stronghold first, to allow the other two parts of our attack to go off without a hitch." Mark then pressed a switch on the remote that lowered things down to the Sea Attack. "Using vessels provided by the Ferry Services of Pocus Town and the Northern Outpost, as well as support from Sailor Ralph, we will be ferrying the heart of our attack force from Pocus Town to the shores of Mt. Heatmor. The objective for the Sea Invasion is to cut off a retreat by the Sea, as well as to hold the position on the Beach Head. This operation will be carried out by the majority of you present here."
Michael looked out into the crowd. "Jon and Madeline. You two are the ones that I want to lead this second wave."
Jon rose proudly. "You can count on me, Mike."
Madeline, Jon's younger sister with chestnut colored hair that reminded Ryan a bit of Addison, nodded and saluted her cousin. "We won't let you down."
"There is another crucial element that this part of our plan needs to accomplish" Michael continued. "While also holding the base, we are going to need an infirmary ward for those who are too injured or are taken out of the fighting. We'll also need some cover from any type of volcanic mishaps, should the Syndicate try to destroy the base with all of us in it." He looked out into the crowd again. "Jenna, I'll be counting on you to take care of as many injured and fatigued Pokémon as possible. Annie will be helping you with this and Greg should be able to provide enough cover for you to work, as will the rest of the Gym Leaders and all else willing to help."
"Can I offer nursing services, Mr. Kingston?" Jasmine asked.
Michael nodded. "If you wish to help Jenna, I won't interfere, Jasmine."
"Thank you" she replied, before quieting herself again.
"I'd like to help as well" Morgan stood up after her sister quieted. "Anyway that I can."
"We appreciate it, Morgan" Ryan said happily. The girl beamed as she sat down.
"What role do I have to play?" Big Mike asked his son.
"You're going to act as a line of defense here, Dad" Michael told his father. "Piper, Uncle Robert and Grandma won't be taking part in this battle, so I'll need someone to watch over the Ranch until we return."
Big Mike seemed disappointed at first, but shrugged. "Very well. If I must, I must."
"The third wave" Mark concluded, "will be attacking from the skies." He moved the diagram up to a v-formation of seven fliers. "This third attack wave will consist of Michael, the Elite Four, and Ryan Kingston, accompanied by the ArcResistance Team and Tommy Queensbury. Our task is to fly over Mt. Heatmor, land on the beach head, clear out any opposition we find until you all arrive, then, find a way to infiltrate the Syndicate's main Base of Operations and take down the Administrators, one by one if we must."
"The Syndicate Admins are unlike any trainers you all have faced" Cameron cautioned. "Unless you have no other choice, try to stick to the Syndicate Peons."
"The ArcResistance Team" Mark went on, "will have the objective of shutting down the power generators in the base, thereby destroying the Syndicate's ability to make anymore Crimson Brand soldiers. If they succeed, it will only be a matter of picking off the Syndicate Leaders until we've won." He took a deep breath. "This will not be an easy task for any side. This is a high stake operation, especially if we fail."
"How should we approach these Brand Soldiers?" Daniel asked.
"The people that The Syndicate has branded" Piper answered, "are going to be people we've probably seen before, either in passing or met along our travels. Some might be people we've known as neighbors, coworkers and friends. Others are people we love." She looked down towards Ryan, who lowered his head as Michael had. "If you have a chance to end a battle peacefully, take that chance. Don't go out of your way to hurt any of them, but also don't give away any ground yourselves. These branded people will not be battling us of their own free will. Rather, it will be forced upon them by the Syndicate."
"The Peons and Admins on the other hand" Cameron interjected, "are to be shown no mercy. They all had a choice to make their lives better and instead chose to do evil and despicable things in pursuit of their own means. This includes those we've previously mentioned: Claude Jacques, Walter O'Hara, Courtney and even Matthew."
Jeice rose from his seat. "Can I point something out?"
"Sure, Dad" Cameron replied.
"On the Third Wave" he observed, "it shows you guys in a V-formation of seven fliers. But I'm only counting six of you."
Michael rose to his feet to answer this one, allowing Cameron and Mark to sit down. "We had initially planned on making Jocelyn Aced our seventh flier, as her knowledge of he Syndicate Base would have been very useful for us, but she has sustained serious injuries in her exploits against the Syndicate at the Compound and will not be available to battle alongside us. I have a seventh flier in mind, but until I know for sure if I can recruit them, I will keep the seventh flier as an anonymous secret." He looked out at everyone in the room. "What happens as a result of this will define Arcana for the next 100 years. How we act, which actions we take and when will all have major impacts on our world as we progress. All of us will play a pivotal role in ensuring that either peace or oblivion await us."
"Michael" Warren Tenton asked as he rose to his feet. "Is there a way to counteract the Crimson Fury?"
Michael sighed. "Not one that is assured. Celebi has helped me in the past to come to terms with my own afflictions, but without that source, it remains unclear if there is something strong enough to break through it's control of us. In Orre, Holly Queensbury is currently undergoing a surgical procedure to remove the Crimson Brand from her arm and perhaps provide her with an immunity to it's affects. If this succeeds, then we need only wait until the Syndicate has been destroyed and then we will be able to heal all those afflicted with this, including myself."
"There is one concept" Piper said. "It's something that my cousin, Professor Pines has theorized. Perhaps a strong enough emotional connection might be able to weaken the power the Crimson Fury has over someone. But the connection needs to be fiercely strong. If Michael were to, heaven forbid, succumb to the power of the Crimson Fury, it would take more than just one of us here to be able to snap him out of it's control. But until this theory is proven, our best chance lies with the team in Orre and their surgical procedure."
Michael looked to all present in the room one last time. "You all have the remainder of the day today to train yourselves up, put any affairs in order and do whatever needs to be done to prepare you for what will come. But tomorrow night, we bring this fight right to The Syndicate and we put this nightmare behind us, once and for all. That is all." With that, most in the room began to file out to discuss amongst themselves. As Ryan went to go and talk to his parents, his cousin caught his arm. "Not you. You're coming with me, Ryan."
"Okay" Ryan said, content to be going with his cousin somewhere. "Where are we going? To get some hardcore training in?"
Michael shook his head as he led his cousin out the door. "No. We've got to go recruiting."
"The seventh flier?" Ryan asked.
Michael nodded. "I was really counting on Jocelyn to be the seventh. But it seems we have no choice. There's only one person I can turn to now to be the seventh flier."
"Is it that guy you met in Terra Town?" Ryan asked.
Michael sighed. "Alas, no. I don't think he will be of much help to us, right now. Though he did offer to send some aid our way if we need it. No, I have someone else in mind. And we have to go and get to them."
"Where is this guy?"
"Klefki Prison" Michael responded, leaving his cousin in shock.